Debbie Larsen said she will always remember the wild stories her uncle would tell her.

"When my father passed away a couple years ago, he told me so many stories about my dad," said Larsen, 42, of Houston. "He had the best stories."

Friday afternoon, Albert Schoener, 86, of Port Lavaca, and his wife died after their vehicle crashed on U.S. Highway 59 North.

About 3 p.m., emergency service workers responded to a wreck on the highway: Two cars were smashed, and a woman was not breathing.

Schoener and his wife were traveling east, attempting to cross the highway, when their gold Chevrolet Impala was struck by a blue BMW, said Sgt. Eline Moya, spokeswoman with the Victoria Police Department.

Evelyn Schoener, 78, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her husband died shortly after at Citizens Medical Center, Moya said.

"The first thing I thought was what a tragic way to go," Larsen said, describing her uncle as funny and her aunt as shy and quiet. "They lived a nice, long life."

Michel Thigpen, 32, of Corpus Christi, was in the BMW and was listed in stable condition Friday evening at Citizens Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.

Traffic on U.S. 59 was backed up for several miles, and about a quarter-mile from the fatality, a woman driving a gold Nissan Quest crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer that had slowed down to pass the scene, said patrol officer Justin Surber with the Victoria Police Department.

Ashley Dotson, who is said to be in her early 30s, was transported to Citizens Medical Center.

Emergency service workers used a hydraulic rescue tool referred to as the "jaws of life" to free Dotson from her vehicle, Surber said.

As of late Friday evening, Dotson was still being examined at the hospital, and her condition was not released.